


Ruined Makeup

by swanqueenfic13



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Anti Mon-El, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Flirting, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Supercorp endgame, cat is a mentor, inspired by a song lyric, seriously he's a douche in this, starts off Karamel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 12:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9072535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: “He apologized. It was a mistake. He said he loves me, Alex! And he makes me happy. Why aren’t you happy for me?” Alex wants to be happy for her baby sister. She wants to focus on Kara’s bright smile. But she is too focused on Kara’s tears from last night, her gasping sobs and the mascara tracks down her cheeks.
 
Or: Kara is dating Mon-El but he's a douche and keeps breaking her heart until Lena swoops in to save the superhero





	

Kara Zor-El Danvers believe in second chances. She believed in the inherent goodness of people and wanted to give them a chance to show that goodness, especially after they made a mistake. It’s what made her trust Lena even though she’s a Luthor. Alex loved that about her sister, loved her willingness to love. But she also hated it because it’s what kept Kara going back to Mon-El, no matter how many times he messes up.

They’d started dating shortly after he’d arrived, Kara insisting that he was changing her mind about Daxamites. And Alex thought that was good- not to say she wasn’t cautious, sure. He  _ had _ choked her upon first meeting her and had been a general douche, not to mention Alex was already protective ( _ over _ protective, Kara had insisted) of her little sister.

The first time he made her cry, she took him back the very next day.

“Kara, he  _ cheated on you _ ,” Alex hissed. She didn’t mean to be cruel, but she had no idea why Kara had arrived at her apartment for sister night toting  _ him _ with his arm possessively around her waist. It had taken a fight to get Kara to separate from him and out of his earshot (a difficult feat requiring Alex to play some music reminiscent of her punk phase to mask the noise) just to talk.

“He apologized. It was a mistake. On Daxam, relationships weren’t exclusive unless you had been mated together- like, married. We haven’t done that and he didn’t think- he said he’s sorry, Alex,” Kara whispered, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. She fights back a smile. “He said he loves me, Alex! And he makes me happy. Why aren’t you happy for me?” Alex wants to be happy for her baby sister. She wants to focus on Kara’s bright smile. But she is too focused on Kara’s tears from last night, her gasping sobs and the mascara tracks down her cheeks.

“I- Kara, come on. I want you to be happy, you know that,” Alex sighs.

“I am happy! We talked and he says he’s sorry he upset me. We’re good now!” Kara insists.

“Okay,” Alex acquiesces. “If he really is sorry… If he makes you happy, then I’m happy.” Kara squeals, hugging her sister and they go back out and Sister Night becomes… Alex third-wheeling.

 

“Lena, hi!” Kara beams. “What are you doing here?” Lena smiled, striding across the CatCo bullpen like she owns the place. Kara licks her suddenly dry lips as Lena steps all too close and grins at her, quirking one eyebrow in that way she does.

“I came to invite you to a gala I’m having to celebrate the renaming of L-Corp.”  _ She came to invite you personally _ , Kara thinks.  _ She took time out of her busy day. _

“A gala, like… a party?”

“More like a ball,” Lena laughs congenially. 

“Oh! That sounds fun!” Kara bounces on her toes, imagining a Cinderella type ball with dancing and food-  _  and maybe if I’m lucky I can dance with Lena _ . The thought comes unbidden and Kara’s cheeks flush at the thought. Suddenly, Mike is at her side.

“Did I hear party? I like parties. Can I come?” he’s asking and Kara is mortified and Lena looks perturbed for a moment before carefully schooling her face into neutrality.

“And just who are you?” Lena asks, half smirking.

“Mo-Mike. Of the interns. I’m  _ also _ Kara’s boyfriend. I assume she’s talked about me.” He smirks again, slinging an arm around Kara’s shoulder and she shifts, appearing uncomfortable. Lena wants to smack that stupid smirk off his face (just because he’s making Kara uncomfortable, not because she’s jealous that Kara is dating  _ him _ and not her). 

“No, she hasn’t.” His face falls and he turns to pout at her for a moment before he looks back at Lena as she continues talking. “So, Mike of the interns… Kara got you the job here, I presume? How  _ sweet _ ,” she simpers. He fixes her with a glare. “But, the more the merrier. Please, come to my gala if you like. But it is a black tie affair, so please make sure you’re dressed for the occasion.”

“Of course. I own many black ties,” he says, puffing his chest out. Lena has to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

“I look forward to seeing you there, Kara,” she says pointedly. “Goodbye, Mike.”

 

“What is your problem, Mon-El?” Kara had dragged him to her office as soon as Lena left. “What was that?”

“What? She invited you to the party and not me. You’re my girlfriend! And she was flirting with you,” he points out accusatorily. Kara’s tongue darts out to sweep across her bottom lip and her nostrils flare. “And what was that < _ udolzrhygahs> _ about you not mentioning me ever?”

“I interview her for  _ work _ . I don’t spend  _ work meetings _ talking about you!” Kara’s eyes narrow.

“Well, if you really loved me, you would have at least  _ mentioned  _ me,” he says petulantly. 

“Of  _ course _ I love you,” Kara insists.

“Really? It doesn’t  _ seem _ like it,” he growls, shoving past her and out of the office. 

“Mon-El, wait!” Kara calls plaintively, feeling the beginnings of hot tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. But he doesn’t return. So, she decides to sit down, get some work done and give him space. They can talk about this later. They  _ do  _ have a gala to go to together, after all.

 

But then she walks in to use the copy room to find Mon-El and Eve Teschmacher on top of the copy machine.

“Oh my God!” she gasps. 

“Oh, Kara, I’m sorry!” Eve calls out apologetically as Kara turns and walks away quickly, heading back to her office. Kara doesn’t blame her, not completely. She never let Mon-El talk about their relationship in the workplace, desperate to keep some modicum of professionalism in CatCo. So, Eve didn’t know exactly what she was doing (Kara really, truly _ hopes _ she didn’t know). But he knew. He knew what he was doing and he did it anyway and Kara is angry but she’s also sad. Why did he do this? 

She just makes it to her office before the tears fall. Kara is biting her bottom lip, squeezing the edge of the desk until she hears it break. She’s shaking with the effort of keeping herself silent as the tears stream down her cheeks. Breathing deeply, Kara sits on the couch, rocking back and forth and clutching at her knees, desperately trying to keep herself from completely falling apart.

Kara isn’t sure how long she sits there, rocking and crying before she finally stops, taking deep, slow breaths to calm herself. When she finally stands and looks in her little compact mirror, she is unsurprised to see the harsh tear tracks down her face, the streaks of ruined makeup and the puffy redness. She splashes cold water on her face though it does no good to her Kryptonian flesh. All she can do is give herself a few minutes now that the onslaught of tears has paused. Given time, the redness goes down and all she has to do is fix her makeup and get back to work. She is Kara Danvers. She is okay.

 

“Hey, Kara,” Mon-El smirks, leaning against the doorway. Kara turns to glare at him but he doesn’t seem to feel the weight of her gaze.

“I’m mad at you,” she declares before going back to typing, finishing her latest article for Snapper. He may not have given her a chair yet in the bullpen but no one could take away the small office Cat had given her- at least, not without a fight.

“Why?” Kara’s cheeks turn red as she splutters indignantly. He has the nerve- the  _ audacity _ \- to ask why she’s mad? “We’re even now,” he declares proudly.

“What are you talking about?” she finally grits out.

“Well, you hurt me with Lena. And not even mentioning me to her and her flirting with you. So, I hurt you with Eve. Now we’re even.” Kara wants to slap him, wants to shout  _ that’s not the way it works! _ But he’s smiling at her and he continues talking. “So, I accept your apology for hurting me and now we're- what do you say? Square?- whatever, we’re good now. You love me and I love you. So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?” And Kara wants to protest and stay angry but he's smiling and he loves her and… is it really so bad? He's not even from this planet and he's still learning. Kara decides to cut him some slack. 

“I was going to suggest potstickers,” she says softly. He makes a face and she quickly switches her answer. “Or seafood?” The seafood place on seventh had quickly become his favorite and he beams at her in response, nodding before humming and going back to work. Kara just sighs. She  _ hates _ seafood but hey, the things people do for love, right?

 

Eventually, Kara stops counting all the times Mon-El makes her cry. He makes her cry when he calls her selfish, when he insults her attempts at saving people, when he insists that she doesn’t love him enough, when he spent the entirety of Lena’s party holding her hand to keep her from talking to Lena, when he calls her an idiot, when he flirts with every girl he sees, when he gets drunk and calls her “a pretty, blonde distraction” that he’d never mate with. Kara has quickly had to learn how to put herself back together since Alex has no patience for her relationship with Mon-El. 

“I believe in second chances, Alex!” Kara had said once when they were arguing about it.

“Kara, it’s not that I don’t. I know everybody makes mistakes and everything but you have to draw the line somewhere! He keeps doing the same things, making the same mistakes! Give second chances Kara, but not for the same mistake,” she begged. Kara just sighed and stopped going to Alex to talk about him.

She’d started keeping a spare makeup kit and things in her desk drawer so that no one could ever see the mascara tracks.

Kara is just standing on Cat’s balcony- a habit she had started once she realized James never used the balcony- when she hears the voice.

“Kara, dear, what are you doing out here? I know you can’t feel it, but it’s very cold out. You should at least have a jacket to keep up appearances.” Kara startles, hastily wiping at her eyes though it will do nothing to fix her ruined makeup.

“M-miss Grant! W-what are you doing b-back here?” she whimpers, turning on her heel. Miss Grant was standing in the doorway in a pantsuit with a thick winter coat on. She looked tanner, her hair longer with less curl to it. When Kara turned around, she looked surprised, rushing forward.

“Nevermind that. What’s wrong, dear?” And Kara has missed her. She’s missed the way Cat would hug her as if she was holding Kara together, keeping her from breaking apart. She clings to her now as Cat hugs her and Kara finds herself laughing even as she cries.

“I m-missed you,” she laughs before it all dissolves into tears and Cat just holds her, making soothing noises and scratching lightly at her back until Kara finally relaxes. Cat guides them to the little couch on the balcony and Kara takes a moment to breathe.

“What happened, dear? Did you really miss me that much?” Cat jokes weakly.

“I-I did but… That’s not… I was already crying when you came,” she admits even though Cat already knew this. She just tilts her head at Kara, urging her to go on. “I… I got into a fight with my boyfriend.” When it seems Kara isn’t going to continue, Cat speaks.

“What did he do?” Kara whimpers.

“He just… He comes from a planet similar to mine,” Kara explains. She and Cat had always had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding her superpowers. Both knew that Cat knew, but it was never discussed. But she can’t pretend anymore. It’s exhausting and she is far too tired for this. “And it’s… different. From here, I mean. There, the men had much more control than they did here. They had a different system. Whereas Krypton focused on equality and the importance of collaboration and fairness, his planet was a patriarchal monarchy stuck in some…  _ backward _ ways.”

“Sounds like this country, minus the monarchy,” Cat snorts. Kara smirks and rolls her eyes. “So, is he trying to impose those backward positions on you?” Kara looks away sadly.

“He just… On his planet, the women were meant to be monogamous. I’m supposed to… bond to him. To be his and only his. But he… I’ve caught him cheating. A lot. He flirts, he kisses, he… And I’ve talked to him. The first time, he said he didn’t know about the customs here. The second time was… to get back at me? For hurting him. Then after that, it was for no reason at all. Because a girl was pretty. Because I was busy saving someone in the city. And every time I talk about how it bothers me and how I want him to be exclusive, he turns it around on me!” Kara laments, leaning back into the couch. It feels  _ good _ to talk about this with someone, to vent.

“How could he possibly manage that?” Cat scoffs. Kara shifts, turning more towards Cat and she feels their knees touch. _ God, I’ve missed you, Miss Grant _ , she thinks.

“He says I’m… I’m being culturally insensitive and that I’ve forgotten what it’s like on Krypton because I’ve spent so much of my life hiding. And then he calls me a racist and a coward and then I end up leaving and crying and… I started coming here… because you always made me feel better.” Kara is sniffling again, fighting back more tears.

“I’m glad, dear. And you should feel free to come out here if you need to think. But… can I give you some advice, Kara?” Kara straightened up.

“Always!” Cat grinned. She loved giving advice, not just to Kara but also to Supergirl. She loved the way Kara would look at her so earnestly, so happy and eager to listen. She looked the same way now. Cat watches as the redness around her eyes recedes, the swelling goes down. The only evidence Kara had been crying is the angry mascara streaks. Cat hums, taking a makeup wipe out of her purse. She moves to stand in front of Kara, wiping away the tear stains and makeup.

“If you’re going to love someone,” Cat says softly, holding Kara’s chin in her hands. Satisfied Kara’s face is clean, she takes out her own mascara and starts to reapply it. “You deserve to love someone who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara.” She stops, smiling at Kara and patting her chin once she’s done applying the makeup. “So, find yourself someone who kisses you silly, who makes you lick your lips and reapply lip gloss or lipstick or chapstick every few minutes because you can’t stop thinking about you, hmm? You deserve better, dear. So take my advice, and let this fight be the last, yes?”

“Oh- okay?” Kara queries, a little hesitant. “But… I do love him,” she adds.

“Oh, my sweet, sweet Kara,” Cat breathes. “You have more love to give than anyone I’ve ever met. But not everyone is deserving of that love. You deserve more than he’s giving you. Think about what I’ve said.”

“I will,” Kara promises, though she knows she’ll end up listening to Cat’s advice; she almost always does. “So,” Kara smiles, determined to change the subject. “Where have you been? What have you been doing? How long are you back?” Cat just smiles, shaking her head before launching into her tales.

 

And Kara did think about it. She thought about Cat’s words quite a lot over the next few days. And then, when Mon-El came around with his half-hearted apologies and his insistence that it was her fault, she broke up with him. For good this time.

“Is it because I’m a Daxamite? Because really, that’s so typical  _ Kryptonian _ -” he spits it out like a dirty word “-and I thought you were better than that, Kara?” He takes a breath, preparing to continue when Kara interrupts him. He blinks in surprise.

“No, it’s not because you’re a Daxamite. I’ve told you that the things you do are hurting me and you don’t listen. You make me feel like it’s my fault but it isn’t. I’ve cried too many times for you, Mon-El. I want you to be happy, but that happiness isn’t with me. I’m leaving now. Please don’t follow me.” And with that, she leaves the alien bar. As she walks out the door, she sees him flirting with the new bartender. She knows he’ll be fine, so she takes off to find the person who’s always ruining her mascara.

 

“Lena!” Kara calls, heading into the CEO’s office. Lena just raises an eyebrow at her.

“Kara, it’s been a while. I haven’t seen you since my gala. And you didn’t even find me to chat, then,” she says. Kara can hear the accusation in her tone and she winces.

“Yeah, I am sorry about that… I just… My ex… Was very jealous and I wanted- I mean, I just… I didn’t like fighting but I wanted to go and he made me feel bad about talking to you, so I just didn’t- I missed you, though! And I have thought about you, even if I haven’t been able to see you. I’m really- Lena, I’m sorry,” Kara babbles nervously. “I just-”

“Did you say he’s your ex?” Lena interrupts, raising one curious eyebrow.

“That’s all you got from that?” Kara laughs. Lena shrugs, smirking as if to say  _ so what? _ “But yes. I broke up with him earlier today.”

“Kara, I do hope you’re doing alright. I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go- he definitely seemed a bit controlling and mean. However, I don’t like you being upset,” Lena said. She moved over to the drinks cart, offering Kara a glass of scotch. When she shook her head, Lena poured waters for the both of them.

“I… I think I loved the idea of him and what he could be more than I loved him,” Kara admitted. Lena smiles sympathetically, squeezing Kara’s hand. Kara hoped the blush in her cheeks wasn’t noticeable. 

“What made you realize? If, uh, if you don’t mind my asking, that is,” Lena adds nervously. She looks away for a moment, starting to pull her hand away when Kara squeezes it again, pulling her closer. She holds the hand in her lap, thumbs brushing over Lena’s palm, idly tracing patterns. Lena had to suppress a shudder.

“I just… I realized that he was ruining my mascara more than my lipstick,” Kara sighs. Lena nods though she isn’t fully sure she understands what Kara’s trying to say. “Miss Grant,” Kara explains with a grin. Lena feels the claws of jealousy, white hot in her stomach. It was clear in the way Kara talked about her former boss that she had feelings for her, and now Kara was confirming it-  _ Miss Grant ruins my lipstick when she kisses me _ , Lena mimics in her head.

“Ah, well if she makes you happy-” Kara interrupts Lena with a shake of her head and a hand covering Lena’s mouth. Lena frowns, resisting the childish urge to lick her hand. Kara quickly moves it away and starts speaking.

“No, not like that!” Kara squeaks, her cheeks flaming red. “I mean, she’s my mentor, sort of. She gave me advice. Told me to find someone who ruined my lipstick because they kissed me rather than someone who ruined my mascara by making me cry. And, well, you were the first person I thought of.” Kara’s blushing again, unable to look at Lena. The CEO squeezes the young girl’s hand again, smiling gently when she makes eye contact.

“Yeah?” Lena encourages.

“Well, um, well because sometimes, you do this thing. And you look at me and you look at my lips and, and- I don’t know why!- I don’t know why but it makes me lick my lips. And- and- and I bite my lips and- I don’t know! Whenever I leave a meeting with you, I need to reapply my lip gloss. So, I just… I came here.” Kara’s voice tapers off and she releases Lena’s hand to fiddle with her glasses.

“Kara,” she whispers. Kara squirms before finally making eye contact again. Lena smiles at her, shifting closer and closer until she’s straddling Kara, who feels very much like a cornered animal. “Would you  _ like me _ to ruin your lipstick?” 

“Uh, I- um, yes?” Kara squawked. Immediately, Lena was leaning in, gently pressing her lips to Kara’s. Kara whimpers before kissing her back. When they finally part ways, an hour later, Kara’s lipstick is all over Lena- her face, her mouth, her neck- and Lena had left dark lip prints under the collar of Kara’s shirt.

Kara knew she had made the right decision when she went through five tubes of lip gloss (and three of chapstick) in the first month of dating Lena.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the song "Lipstick" by Runaway June and Cat Grant's quote is inspired by the song. Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment!


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